If this went down, would the Cavs be better off with Williams, or would they be better off with #4 and #8 and bring in 3 rookies?

Definitely worth considering, we need bodies. Hell, they could even play some poker with Minnesota and try to wait them our for a lower price since they obviously don't want Williams. But I don't think there's any way Gilbert pays that much money just to get the 8th pick. He has it bad for Williams.

Please show your work. Is that what it would cost to buy out Rip?

Total guess. I just figured since he's owed $25 mill over the next two years, the buyout would be in the 80% range. But who knows, it's a major number regardless.

Last edited by Kingpin74 on Sat May 28, 2011 3:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do...win the whole, f***in', thing."- Jake Taylor

I wouldnt say forgone. If we play Williams mostly at the 3 or Hickson mostly at tue 5, they could both stay on. If we can keep Hickson, great, but if the right deal is there you have to bite. Hickson's stock may never be higher, and if we can use him as part of the deal and keep our own #4 pick for Vala or Kanter, I would be thrilled, as that would make us pretty solid at 1, 4, and 5.

As far as the Paul/West comparison, it might not be far off. Kyrie probably wont be as good as Paul at his peak, but who knows with his knee now. Williams will probably be better than West, he is a little shorter, but far more agile/athletic, and has about 25lbs on West, so he should be better in the post with backing down/ not getting backed down.

On the surface I'd be most happy with the 1,4,8 if it could happen (by keeping and using Rip the best we can), but the 1,2 scenario is tricky b/c it could be great but I'm not so sure I want to risk any possibility of picks down the road if that is what would happen. We are going to need more picks in the year(s) to come, this is as close to a fact as anything. You need some sort of flexibility as a safety net if in fact you get caught needing a piece in the transition of going from bottom to near the top.

I think eye has mentioned this a few times and probably illiterates it a bit better or in more detail, as I rarely give two fucks about contracts and CBA crapola.

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

FUDU wrote:I'm not so sure I want to risk any possibility of picks down the road if that is what would happen. We are going to need more picks in the year(s) to come, this is as close to a fact as anything. You need some sort of flexibility as a safety net if in fact you get caught needing a piece in the transition of going from bottom to near the top..

Yes, I want to think long and hard before I lose future flexibility. It seems the last years of the LBJ era, we kept making a bunch of short term moves to try to get over the top and to keep the whiny one happy. That short term thinking was just that. Short term.

Now is not the time to think short term. We can't rush and make risky decisions regarding the future and hurt ourselves long term. But I love the fact that they are willing to think out of the box. Just no too far out of the box.

"The nose of the bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go." -- Winston Churchill

FUDU wrote:I'm not so sure I want to risk any possibility of picks down the road if that is what would happen. We are going to need more picks in the year(s) to come, this is as close to a fact as anything. You need some sort of flexibility as a safety net if in fact you get caught needing a piece in the transition of going from bottom to near the top..

Yes, I want to think long and hard before I lose future flexibility. It seems the last years of the LBJ era, we kept making a bunch of short term moves to try to get over the top and to keep the whiny one happy. That short term thinking was just that. Short term.

Now is not the time to think short term. We can't rush and make risky decisions regarding the future and hurt ourselves long term. But I love the fact that they are willing to think out of the box. Just no too far out of the box.

LBJ's final years? What about the 25 years it took em' to recover from Ferry.

This franchise has been as flexible as a flourencent bulb for 40 years.

Not quite sure I can recall a 5 year stretch where they weren't handcuffed by some sort of dumb deal.

"It's all about winning for me, and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that," he said. "But at the same time I've given myself options to this point, and like I said before, me and my team, we have a game plan that we're going to execute, and we'll see what we get."

Also worth noting is that various reports are now all confirming that this D-Will obsession is driven almost entirely by Gilbert, who cannot keep is grubby little hands out of his puppet GM's anal cavity.